


Feel the Ground Shift Beneath Your Feet

by The_Plaid_Slytherin



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: AU, Fix-It, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-12-22
Updated: 2011-05-06
Packaged: 2017-10-14 06:23:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/146319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Plaid_Slytherin/pseuds/The_Plaid_Slytherin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Earth, an unexpected conversation prompts Felix and Lee to think about the ideas they have for the new society forming around them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [geekbynight](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=geekbynight).



The air smelled like nothing. That was Felix's first impression of Earth. New Caprica had had a wet, wintry smell, even in the summer, which had not been anything close to hot, not like the rich, leafy Picon summers Felix was used to. But he'd have given everything to be back on New Caprica, if it meant he didn't have to be here.

This just smelled like nothing.

It was just _dead_. Everything was _dead_.

" _This_ was what they led us to," he muttered under his breath. He had had no great love for New Caprica, especially after what had happened there, but there had been a time where he could have imagined things working out (and it probably _was_ mostly in his imagination).

He had believed in it; he had believed so much in the success of their new society, in the success of Gaius's administration. He knew some of it—most of it, maybe—was naïveté. He had thought starting over again from scratch would be easy, that it would be like transporting the Twelve Colonies to a different location. When he had agreed to work for the Baltar Administration, he had never considered the thousands of little problems they would have to deal with to make the society work—and it _hadn't_ worked.

It hadn't worked because of the Cylons. Felix glanced over his shoulder at where Tigh and Caprica Six were standing. He felt his stomach turn. It was disgusting. Was he really the only one who still didn't trust them? It was like he was the only one who remembered the attacks on the Colonies, what had happened on New Caprica.

He moved a few feet away, the uneven ground making his way difficult on his crutches. It was slow going. He had enough trouble on the flat, metal floors on _Galactica_. He had only gone a few feet before one of his crutches caught on a rock. He felt himself fall and, instinctively, he stuck out his right leg, but, of course, that didn't do any good.

He collapsed awkwardly, his prosthesis twisted painfully beneath him, pressing into his thigh.

"You okay?" Felix felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to see who it was.

Lee Adama was standing over him, looking concerned.

"I'm fine," said Felix, fighting to find purchase with his crutches to haul himself back up.

"Here." Lee knelt beside him, hooking his arm around Felix. "You ready?"

Felix nodded, not sure what else to do, and let Lee pull him to his feet. Lee didn't let go until he was confident Felix was balanced again.

It was a moment before Felix could look him in the eye. It was embarrassing, especially to have to be helped up by _Lee Adama_ , of all people. Reluctantly, he looked up, but there was only sympathy in the other man's eyes.

"Thanks," said Felix, nodding curtly. He expected Lee to leave, but he didn't. Felix resented it—did he think Felix was going to fall again?

Lee sighed, stuck his hands in his jacket pockets. "So."

Felix stared at him. What had Dee seen in this guy? Sure, he was attractive, but that seemed to be about it.

"Are you just going to stand there?" Felix asked.

Lee looked taken aback. "I thought you just might like some company. Guess I was wrong."

Felix shifted, bracing himself on his good leg—his only leg. "Is this what he was expecting? Your father?"

Lee looked at him blankly. "What?"

"Right after the attacks." Felix pressed down on his crutches, testing the ground. "That big speech about Earth. About how it would be our refuge from the Cylons. That is, until we led them there."

"He didn't know it was going to be like this," said Lee defensively. "None of us did. We wouldn't have lied."

Felix jerked his head up, indicating the Fleet in orbit above their heads. "What are you going to tell them, huh?"

Lee held his hands up. "Look, Gaeta—Felix. This isn't what anybody _wanted_. We're still trying to figure out what happened here." He sighed, lowering his hands again. "I don't know what we're going to tell them. The truth, I guess."

Felix snorted. "You guess?"

"I don't like this any more than you do," said Lee softly. "I don't know what to think." He shook his head. "I mean, this is what we were searching for… for all these years, and just… look at it." His voice shook, and Felix was struck by how it looked like he was nearly about to lose his composure. "We didn't _know_ , no one could have _known_." He paused. "Hell, I didn't even think there _was_ an Earth." He gave a short bark of mirthless laughter. "Sure showed me, huh?"

Felix didn't say anything. The truth was, he didn't know what to think, either. Tentatively, he took a step forward.

"I think I'm going back," he said, swallowing hard. "Catch the next shuttle back to _Galactica_." He paused. "Thanks," he added, looking back at Lee.

He nodded. "Anytime."

Felix was aware of Lee's eyes on him as he moved slowly and unsteadily away.

 

**

For some reason, this was all Felix could think about, when he ran into Lee hours later, in front of the morgue. Lee looked upset and nearly stormed past him, but he stopped suddenly.

"Oh my gods," he said, as though he'd forgotten something important. "Felix. I am so sorry."

Felix was surprised that Lee would even stop to talk to him, and as much as he resented Lee for being the cause of Dee's problems, he couldn't work up any maliciousness anymore. "Me too," he said softly. He was surprised at how his voice cracked. After all the losses they'd all experienced, he was surprised he still had any emotion about it.

Lee sighed and sat down next to him. "I don't deserve that," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You were closer to her than I was. You loved her more."

Felix shook his head. "I didn't—"

"I know. But you were a better friend to her than I was a husband."

Felix didn't argue with that because he couldn't. "She loved you," he finally managed.

"I know," said Lee. "That was the problem."

They were silent for such a long time that Felix wondered if they still had anything to say to each other. He was about to stand up and go when the door to the morgue banged open and the admiral stormed out, not even looking at Felix and Lee as he passed them out of the lab.

They both stared at the closed outer door. Lee sighed, an empty, weary sound. Neither of them needed to say anything.

"I need a drink," said Lee quietly. "You want to come with me?"

Felix's first instinct was to say no—he didn't want to do anything, except crawl back into his rack and not come out. He had completely forgotten about his shift in CiC, but he didn't care. Earth had been bad enough, but it was survivable. Dee's death—at her own hand, no less—was what had changed everything. In the back of his mind, Felix had always imagined a world where they never found a home, where they kept searching until their ships disintegrated out from under them. Felix had never imagined a world without Dee, and now that he was being confronted with one, he couldn't fathom it.

Lee was looking at him expectantly. Felix wasn't sure what possessed him to say yes—this was Lee Adama, for gods' sakes. The admiral's son, the man Dee had fallen for despite knowing full well that his heart would always belong to Kara Thrace.

"Sure," he said, and while he stood, slowly, Lee hovered at his elbow, in case he fell again. Felix felt his spine prickled in annoyance. He didn't need that. He was perfectly capable of moving himself around.

He winced at the pain in his leg—his stump. Standing after sitting for a long time tended to do that. "I'm fine," he said, before Lee could ask. "Just a little stiff."

They didn't say much on the way down to Joe's, though Lee waited patiently for Felix each time they encountered stairs, and the one time Felix felt himself tip forward, Lee's arm shot out almost before Felix himself knew he was falling.

The bar was nearly empty, which surprised Felix, since he had imagined people would want to be drinking at a time like this. They got their drinks and found themselves a quiet table, far from anyone else.

Neither of them said anything for a while. Felix sipped tentatively, while Lee didn't even touch his glass.

"I don't know what to do anymore, you know?" he finally said.

Felix glanced up. "About what?"

Lee shrugged. "About everything. My dad's not doing anything; Roslin's not doing anything. Somebody has to, but I don't know what."

Felix didn't know what kind of advice to give him. "Aren't you on the Quorum?"

Lee shrugged. "Yeah, but I think my dad still expects me to give them the runaround, like he would." He ran a hand through his hair and Felix noticed how long it had gotten. It suited him.

"What would you say to them?"

Lee took a swig of his drink. "That's the thing. I have no idea."

Felix frowned. "People are going to want to know the next step. I mean, I—people… are going to be wondering if we should stay with the Cylons, if it's really a smart idea to…"

"I know," said Lee. "I know people are concerned. I'm still not sure myself. I just don't think my dad will budge on this."

Felix couldn't stop the panic in his voice. "Did he forget what they did to us?"

Lee shook his head. "I don't—"

"He wasn't _there_ on New Caprica," said Felix sharply. "He doesn't know what they were doing. Because it wasn't like the Twos, the Sixes and the Eights stayed out of it."

"I know," said Lee.

"You weren't there, either," Felix added, suddenly remembering. "Hell, from what I hear, you didn't even want to come _back_ for us."

Lee went pale. "I didn't—" Then, he stopped. "I didn't mean it like that. I just… my dad is always, well… you know. Sometimes he doesn't really…"

Felix frowned and took a sip of his drink. He hadn't expected to render Lee speechless. "It's okay," he finally said, surprising himself. "It doesn't matter now. I'm sorry."

"No," said Lee. "It does matter. I thought it was too big a risk. I was wrong. I'm wrong a lot."

"She looked so happy," said Felix suddenly. "When she came back from being with you, I told her she was glowing. That was right before…"

"I know," said Lee. "I don't understand why…" His voice shook and his face fell. "I don't understand why."

Felix didn't know why he did it, but he reached across the table and laid a hand on Lee's arm. "Maybe she just wanted us to remember her like that," he heard himself say. His voice was shaking, too, but he didn't care about trying to control it. "She wanted us to remember her like that, like _Dee_ , instead of what she was afraid of turning into."

Lee swiped at his eyes with the heel of his hand. "I just wish there was something I could have done, maybe earlier, maybe. I'm sorry."

Felix was quiet. He didn't blame Lee, at least, he hadn't thought that far yet. But it seemed unnecessarily cruel to do so. They were all human—at least, Dee, Felix and Lee were—Felix wasn't so sure about all of the others. They all made mistakes, they all did things they would later regret. Felix wondered if it was even possible to live without regrets.

"Don't blame yourself," he said softly. "Maybe there was something we all could have done, but would good does it do to think about that now?"

Lee paused and laid his other hand over the one Felix had placed on his arm. "Thanks," he said. "I needed to hear that."

Felix sensed that they were entering one of their long silences again and withdrew his hand. "I wonder if I should go to work."

Lee shrugged. "I doubt it. Who's going to write you up? My dad doesn't care. I'm sure Tigh doesn't, either."

Felix stiffened. "I can't believe he's still the XO."

Lee laughed, though it sounded forced. "My dad again. He won't let go of Tigh."

Felix took another sip. "I thought they weren't speaking."

"That won't last long," predicted Lee. "It never does." He paused, like he was going to say something else, but he didn't.

"I still wish they'd go over to the baseship," said Felix. "Stay with their own kind. We never should have allied with them, but it's not too late. We don't need to take them… wherever we're going."

Lee ran his hand through his hair again. "I don't know," he said quietly. "I've known Tigh my whole life. Frak, he used to take my brother and me to Pyramid games. I still can't get my head around him being a Cylon this whole time."

"I just don't like it," said Felix.

"Hey, I don't either," said Lee. "It's hard for all of us."

"But we need to take a stand," said Felix. He wasn't sure where this was coming from, but all of a sudden, he felt _angry_. "Either we say we're not going to treat with _any_ Cylons, or we open the door for _all_ of them, no matter who they are or what they did."

"We don't live in a black-and-white world," said Lee. "We never did. Trust me, I used to think like that, too, but—"

"But now you're okay with it because a Cylon used to take you to Pyramid games?" Felix was aware of his voice rising, but he didn't care. There were only a few people around, and he didn't care if they were staring at him.

"I didn't say that," said Lee, trying to keep his voice even. "Felix, I think you should get some rest."

Felix snorted. "Yeah, Apollo. Send me away because I disagree with you. You know, as much as you try to act like you aren't just like your father—"

Lee scowled. "I _don't_ disagree with you. I just wouldn't go as far as you would."

"Okay," said Felix. "Prove it. Prove to me that you aren't going to react just like your father would." His glass was empty now and he was aware in the back of his mind that he wouldn't be acting like this if he hadn't finished his drink, hadn't just lost his best friend.

"This isn't the best time." Lee looked lost.

"Well, when _would_ be a good time?"

"I'll let you know. I promise." Lee got up slowly. "I think I should probably go see if my father's all right. He's not in the best mental state."

Felix sighed. "None of us are."

"I know," said Lee. "But he's all I've got left now."

Felix watched him go, wondering if he would even remember that promise. After Lee was out of sight and Felix could guarantee he wouldn't run into him again on his way back to his quarters, he slowly eased himself to his feet and began the slow trek back to his rack.

The room was deserted when he entered, and whoever it was had done a terrible job of cleaning up the blood on the floor.

Dee's blood.

Felix swallowed hard and stepped over the stain, letting himself drop hard into his rack. He didn't even bother removing his leg, instead letting the weird sensation of having three of them occupy his mind. It was two hours before he finally went for the morpha to help him sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Unable to find his father, Lee retired for the night, finding himself opening the hatch of the quarters he had once shared with Dee. Somehow, they had remained unoccupied, even with the influx of civilians on _Galactica_. They were empty, painfully so, and Lee's footsteps echoed loudly on the metal floor. He sat down on the bed, staring at the empty shelves, empty closet space. He could remember when they had first moved in, thinking it wasn't like his quarters on _Pegasus_ , but he'd grown accustomed to it. It had started to seem like home after a while.

He kicked off his shoes and lay down, clasping his hands over his stomach. In the time he'd been living on _Colonial One_ , he had forgotten what _Galactica_ sounded like at night.

He closed his eyes, trying to will himself to fall asleep. The ambient sounds of the ship had, for years, helped him sleep. They weren't working now.

His body was exhausted, but his mind was racing. Was there some sign he could have caught? But, no, Felix had been even closer to Dee than Lee had been and he seemed equally at a loss to explain why she'd done what she'd done. He still felt the guilt, though, gnawing away at the pit of his stomach. He could have been a better husband, he could have been there for her the whole time.

He could have spent more time looking for his father rather than giving up so easily, returning to his quarters and curling up in bed.

Lee frowned. His father could look after himself. He'd go to Roslin, or to Tigh, if he needed someone.

Lee sat up and peeled his jacket off, yanking the sheet over himself in a lame attempt to get comfortable. He would need to speak to the Quorum tomorrow, if Roslin wouldn't. What would he _say_ to them? What was the point of saying anything? Wouldn't knowing the truth just make everyone feel more hopeless?

Lee slept fitfully, if he even slept at all. When he woke, he realized he didn't have anything to wear. All his clothes were over on _Colonial One_. Well, at least he'd had the foresight to take his jacket off the night before; it wasn't as wrinkled as the rest of his clothes.

He wondered if he'd be able to find a shuttle back to _Colonial One_. Really, he should have gone back last night, but it had been so late and he'd felt so tired.

Well, he still felt tired. But at least, he supposed he should get up and get moving. He heard reveille sound—that brought back memories. He considered looking for his father again—surely he'd be in his quarters or CiC by now.

He was on his way to CiC when he ran into Tigh. He looked very shaken and slightly damp. Lee decided he didn't want to know.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Tigh looked surprised to see him. "We're getting out of here. Leaving. Old man's orders."

Lee frowned. "Leaving? Now?"

"What?" said Tigh sourly. "You want stay until Solstice?"

Without even noticing it, Lee had fallen into step beside the older man and, before he knew it, they were entering CiC together. Lee felt relieved to see his father and, to his surprise, he even felt relieved to see Felix.

Both of them looked tired—everyone did, but his father raised his eyes to meet Lee's. "Did Colonel Tigh fill you in?"

Lee nodded. "Yeah. He said we're leaving?"

Bill nodded. "We're looking for a habitable world— _any_ habitable world—and I've asked the rebel baseship to come with us."

Behind him, where Bill couldn't see, Felix cringed.

"Dad, is that—?" Lee began, but his father cut him off.

"I've thought about it," he said. "I think it's the best decision for the time being."

"Bill?" prodded Tigh. "Can I talk to you?"

"Not now, Saul."

"No, it's urgent." Tigh's eye flicked over to Lee. "And private."

Bill sighed. "Mr. Gaeta. You have the deck."

Lee watched as his father and Tigh left the room, Tigh grabbing his elbow to urge him along. He turned to look at Felix, and as soon as their eyes met, Felix looked away.

Lee ambled over to him, hands in his pockets. He wondered if Felix realized he'd slept in his clothes.

"Hey," he said. "How are you holding up?"

Felix managed a small smile. "Fine, I guess. I'm still here, aren't I?"

"Yeah," said Lee, rocking back on his heels. He wondered if Felix even remembered last night—he'd had a lot to drink. "I guess I'm stuck here 'til we jump, right?"

"It looks that way," said Felix, pulling a clipboard toward himself. "We've almost got everyone up off the planet, but I doubt there's time to run a shuttle to _Colonial One_."

Lee nodded. "Mind if I stick around here?" He didn't know where else to go, wasn't even sure if he wanted to find Kara.

Felix shrugged. "Doesn't bother me." He seemed to not remember their conversation from the night before. He hadn't referenced it yet, hadn't yet asked if now was a good time.

Lee supposed it wasn't—Felix was on duty, after all. "Thanks," he said. "It's nice to be back for a bit, you know?"

Felix nodded, but didn't seem to be listening.

They lapsed into an awkward silence, though Lee supposed it was only awkward for him. Felix wasn't paying him any attention, didn't seem aware that Lee was still there. He struck up a light conversation with Hoshi, whom he knew from _Pegasus_ , pleasantries mostly, but the fact that he was at Dee's old station struck Lee halfway through and he let his attention drift.

Gradually, he found himself going back to Felix. He wasn't sure it was still about Dee anymore, though Felix was the only other person who had known Dee like Lee had, probably had known her better. Maybe it would go a little bit toward easing all his regrets, to spend some time with Felix and… what? Have someone who had a chance at understanding him even a little bit?

And he was determined to have another talk with him. What they'd started last night definitely wasn't finished, even if Felix didn't remember it.

"What?"

Lee looked up, startled. "Huh?"

Felix was looking at him. "You're staring at me."

"Sorry." Lee ran a hand through his hair. "I was just hoping we could… talk."

"Now's not a good time," said Felix absently, gathering papers from around his computer.

"I'm not going anywhere," said Lee. "Whenever you're ready is fine by me."

Felix hesitated, looking for a second like he was about to tell Lee off. Instead, his features softened. "I get off duty at 1800," he said, turning away again immediately. "If you want to figure out a place for us to talk, I'll be right out there." He nodded to the doorway Lee's father and Tigh were coming through just now.

"Okay," said Lee. "I'll see you then."

If Felix had been about to say something else, Lee didn't know, because his father descended on him. "You have a minute?"

Lee was surprised that he'd even _asked_ instead of just tacitly assuming that Lee had all the minutes in the world. "Yeah," he said. "Dad, what is it?"

Bill glanced nervously over his shoulder, locking eyes with Tigh, who shifted. "My quarters. We need to tell you something. You and the President. No one else."

**

Lee shouldn't have been surprised that Roslin was on _Galactica_ instead of _Colonial One_ , but she seemed surprised that Lee was.

She gave him a small nod.

"Sit down," Bill told him. Lee sat on the couch next to Roslin.

"You going to tell them?" Bill asked Tigh.

Tigh sighed. "When I was down there on the planet, I…" He paused. "I got this flash. Don't know how, but I remembered who the fifth Cylon was." He swallowed tensely and looked at all three of them in turn. "It's Ellen."

Lee wasn't sure whether or not he was supposed to be surprised. Finding out about Tigh had been a weary sort of shock (and frankly, Lee had been preoccupied with keeping his father from killing himself) that the subsequent reveal of Tyrol and Anders had only added to. It had only been a few days ago, but it already seemed like lifetimes had gone by. Finding out about Ellen raised nothing more than the faint feeling of a curiosity satisfied, a mild relief that there would be no more unpleasant surprises, because that was all twelve of them, and it meant that everyone else Lee cared about was safe.

"Okay," he said. It was the only word he could really muster.

"Are you sure?" asked Roslin.

"I'm sure," said Tigh, nodding confidently. "I wish I could explain how I know, but I just... do."

"I believe you, Colonel," said Roslin soothingly, and he seemed to relax imperceptibly.

"But she's dead, right?" Lee cut in. "I mean… what do we do with this?"

Bill gave him a look. "What we do with it is keep it quiet. Nobody else has to know."

"But people are going to wonder," sputtered Lee. "People are going to want to know why we never found out what the twelfth Cylon model was. I mean, if Colonel Tigh can turn out to be a Cylon, why not you, or me, or the President, or…"

"We'll tell them we know," said Roslin calmly, clutching the blanket draped around her shoulders. "We'll tell them we have the information and that this last Cylon model poses no threat."

"But people will ask questions," Lee began.

"I'm sure you're well-equipped to fend them off, Mr. Adama." Roslin smiled and Lee knew he'd be powerless to argue.

**

The press conference was basically a disaster. It was Lee, his father, and Tom Zarek, in front of people who felt lied to and betrayed. Bill went for evasiveness, "no comment" being his standard answer. Zarek remained woodenly silent.

Lee was the only one who said anything of substance, and even that he screwed up—he'd let on that the fifth Cylon was a she, and that she was dead.

"I'm such an idiot," he muttered.

They were in the shuttle back to _Galactica_ , and Bill offered no comment on this, didn't even comment on the fact that Lee was bringing his overnight bag back with him.

Finally, right when Lee expected their whole trip to be silent, he said, "You coming back to stay?" He looked hopeful, and Lee suddenly felt guilty about having let him down.

"Not the way you think," he warned him. "I just figure that if I'm over there often enough, I might as well keep some clothes there. I was stranded this morning when we were getting ready to jump."

Bill nodded. "I see."

Lee shrugged. "I'll go back and forth." The truth was, he found himself on _Galactica_ more often than not lately, what with Roslin still holed up there. Lee supposed it didn't matter if the government wasn't all together—the civilian government was basically doing nothing at this point.

His thoughts were interrupted by the Raptor making its landing on _Galactica_ 's hangar deck. Lee suddenly remembered Felix, that he'd planned to meet him later that day.

When was it? Surely it was almost 1800 by now?

Lee shouldered his bag and jumped down from the Raptor as soon as the gangplank had been lowered. "What time is it?" he called to Seelix, who was coming over to them.

Surprised, she glanced at her watch. "It's 1825."

"Crap." He turned back to Bill, who was just now getting up from his seat. It registered that his father had been moving slower lately, seemed more tired, but they were all tired. "Dad, I promised I'd meet someone. See you later?"

"Yeah, sure." Bill waved him away.

Lee was halfway to CiC before he realized it was likely Gaeta hadn't waited. Thus, he was surprised, when he turned the corner and spotted him standing there in the exact spot he'd told Lee he'd wait for him.

"Hey," said Lee, striding toward him. "Felix. I'm sorry. I got held up on _Colonial One_."

Felix gave him a thin smile, but it was a smile just the same. "That's okay. Carter was late; so I wound up covering a bit of her shift 'til she showed up."

Lee sighed. "It's like people stopped caring."

Felix frowned. "Well, she has a kid now. It must be tough to balance that and work."

Lee remembered how tough it had been to balance _marriage_ and work, and for a moment, was glad he and Dee hadn't had children.

"So," said Felix. "What was it you wanted to talk about?" He looked tired and Lee regretted making him stand for so long.

Lee shoved his hands in his pockets. "Just pick up where we left off the other day. Frankly, it's nice to see someone who still _cares_. We can get dinner, go to my quarters?"

Felix smiled at him again, and Lee realized he was glad to see it. It was nice to see him smile—see someone smile, at least.

"That's fine," said Felix, easing himself forward. "It… Usually, I'd be eating with Dee, so…"

Lee was quiet. "I'm sorry."

Felix sighed. "I know. Me, too. I just meant… it's nice to have someone to eat with."

Because they certainly weren't in it for the food—"dinner" was pureed algae, just as it had been for so long that Lee couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten real food.

"You know what I'd like?" said Felix, as they entered Lee's quarters. "For the next planet we find to be a hamburger planet."

Lee laughed. He hadn't expected to, and was surprised when it came out.

"That'd be an improvement over the algae planet." He flipped on the lights and set his bag down. It felt awkward carrying the thing around, like he was a visitor to the ship that had once been his home. Felix wobbled over to a chair and sat down.

"Sorry about the walk," said Lee, setting both their bowls down on the table.

"It's fine," said Felix, though he sounded tired. He fumbled with a morpha pouch Lee hadn't even noticed he'd had. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all."

It was nice having someone here, Lee thought, even if that someone was now removing his prosthetic leg so he could inject himself with morpha.

"Does it still hurt?" Lee asked. Then, he paused. "Stupid question."

"Yeah," said Felix, wincing and rubbing his stump, giving no indication to which he was replying.

Lee didn't comment any further; he could tell Felix would rather people stopped asking questions and staring. He sat down across from him, and they began eating in relative silence.

"So," said Felix. "I heard they found out who the fifth Cylon was."

Lee cringed. "It got out that fast?"

"I heard just before you showed up."

Lee groaned and buried his head in his hands. "That was all me. I screwed up, said too much."

"So it's true?"

"Yeah." Lee took a bit and put his fork back down again. Tonight's offering didn't really inspire him. "It just came out before I could stop myself."

Felix looked up at him, the beginning of what looked like anger behind his eyes. "Don't you think people have a right to know?"

"Trust me, this isn't—"

"That's exactly the problem." Felix cut him off sharply, startling Lee. It made sense, though.

Lee took a deep breath. He was going to regret this. "It's Ellen Tigh."

Felix regarded him skeptically. "Really."

"Really."

"She's _dead_."

"Yeah," said Lee. "And that's why no one needs to know. She's dead and it would just make people panic otherwise. And I shouldn't have told you that."

Felix smiled. "I'm glad you did, though. That's the most transparency I've seen from the government in a long time."

Lee laughed. "I suppose you're right."

"Has the admiral said anything about where he's planning on taking us?"

Lee shook his head. "He hasn't said much of anything. I thought you would know all about that."

Felix was quiet. "I'm getting some jump coordinates together. Anyplace that looks like it might have a planet that could support human life."

"There has to be one out there," said Lee.

"Yeah, and we have to find one that we can get to _and_ that's safe from the Cylons. Safe from Cavil, I mean." He paused. "I still can't believe we're taking them with us."

"I know." Lee paused. "What would you do instead?"

Felix looked up. "What?"

"If you were in charge." Lee grinned. "Pretend you're the admiral for a day. Or the President, even. What would you do?"

"Well, I'd be more transparent for one. Let people know what's going on before we invite Cylons over, put Cylon technology on our ships. I mean… we don't know anything about them. This could all be a trap."

"I know," said Lee. He paused. "Hey, why don't you come to a meeting sometime? I mean, I'm always in there with Roslin, and Tigh, and my dad. You should come by sometime."

"Are you serious?" Felix asked. He looked almost as if he didn't believe Lee. "Would they listen to me?"

"I would." He wasn't sure why, but that seemed to brighten Felix's expression. "It can't hurt, right? You can tell them what people are thinking. Maybe these are things they haven't considered. Plus, my dad likes you."

"He does?"

"Oh, yeah," said Lee confidently. "He has a lot of faith in you." He scratched the back of his neck. "Actually, he might have more confidence in you than he has in me."

"What's he like?" Felix asked suddenly.

Lee blinked. "What do you mean?"

"What's he like as a father?" Felix paused. "If you don't mind my asking."

"No, it's fine." Lee considered this. "We haven't always gotten along. In case that wasn't obvious."

"I'm just curious," said Felix, and he did actually look interested.

Maybe it was because he had nowhere else to go, nothing better to do, no one else to see, but Lee found himself talking, sharing stories of his childhood, both good and bad. Felix listened attentively, asking questions, and by the time the voice on the PA system announced midnight, Lee realized they'd been talking for hours.

"I should go," said Felix, standing slowly, reaching for his crutches. "I've got first watch in the morning."

Lee stood with him and walked him to the door. "So, do you want to come to a meeting sometime?"

"Sure," said Felix. "I'd like that." He paused. "This was nice, too, by the way. Talking to someone."

"Yeah," Lee agreed. "We should do it again sometime."

They stood there awkwardly for a few seconds before Lee offered Felix his hand, and Felix reached out to shake it.

Lee watched him go, and then closed the hatch. It _had_ been nice, he thought, as he slowly got ready for bed. A small bit of normalcy when they'd both needed it most.


	3. Chapter 3

Felix wasn't sure what to make of Lee Adama.

Ordinarily, Felix might have been annoyed by his persistence. Almost every day, when Felix got off shift, Lee would be waiting for him outside CiC. He was never waiting for his father, as Felix had guessed the first couple of times. He was always waiting for Felix.

"Dinner?" Lee would offer, rehashing the same script.

"Well, I don't have other plans," Felix would reply.

They'd pick up their meals together and go to Lee's quarters to eat. Felix liked that a lot better than sitting awkwardly in the mess, usually alone now that Dee was gone, standing out because of his leg. Lee never made him feel uncomfortable, never even mentioned it, and he didn't even flinch when Felix needed to give himself a dose of morpha.

It wasn't long though before Felix accepted the routine. At first, he wondered what Lee wanted—surely, there was nothing Felix could give him that he couldn't already get by virtue of his pedigree.

Felix watched him, trying to figure out what it was. Actually, watching Lee wasn't so bad. Felix really did like the longer hair on him—not that he _liked_ Lee, per se—it was just a better look for him.

"You feeling all right?" Lee asked suddenly.

Felix was startled, having just realized he'd tuned Lee out for a minute. "Sorry," he said, unconsciously rubbing his thigh. "I must look out of it today. Tigh asked me that, too. You know. In his way."

Lee laughed. "I know what you mean." He paused. "Do you need a _break_ , Mr. Gaeta?" he asked, in a rather uncanny imitation of Tigh's gruff tone.

Felix grinned. "That's it." He paused. "I'm fine, though. Really."

"Good," said Lee. He sighed. "I'm starting to worry about my dad, though."

Felix took a sip of his water. "Worry in what way?"

Lee ran a hand through his hair (Felix had noticed he did that a lot, which was why his hair often seemed slightly disheveled). "I think he's sick."

Felix frowned. He had noticed that Adama hadn't been in CiC as often as he was technically supposed to; it was odd to see Tigh on top of things while Adama lagged behind. Everything seemed to have been turned on its head since Earth.

Lee looked genuinely worried. Felix knew how it was—his parents had had him later in life, so he'd known what it was like to be watching for signs of illness, slowing down. He reached for Lee's arm.

"Did you talk to him?"

Lee shook his head. "I don't know. He doesn't seem… I just think he's given up."

Felix frowned. He was on the edge of giving up, too. He'd been so angry, before, and now… now it had sort of… numbed. He didn't say anything.

"I know it's frustrating, but he's still…" Lee ran his hand through his hair again. "He's still my dad, and I still love him. We may not have always gotten along, but…"

"You don't want to see him fall apart, either," Felix finished.

"Yeah," said Lee.

They were both quiet for a while. Finally, Felix said, "I wish there was something I could do. Just… to make sure we don't go down the wrong path with this alliance."

"I don't think it's the wrong path," said Lee. "Felix, we're not going to survive without them. I'm not saying we're going to lose our humanity, but we can help each other. They _want_ to work with us."

Felix sighed. "But we _already_ have Cylons here with us."

"Who?" Lee challenged. "Athena's _been_ on our side. Tigh, Tyrol, Anders—they didn't even _know_ what they were."

Felix remembered the first night they'd met to talk. "I just don't like jumping in with both feet when we can't see the bottom."

"Neither do I," said Lee. "We agree on that. So does my father, I think, as much as he doesn't want to show it."

"We just need to be careful."

"We're _being_ careful," said Lee. "I think it's possible, but we need to do it in a way that's right for everyone. The Quorum's not buying it, though."

Felix thought about New Caprica, how he'd had so many ideas, and none had come to fruition. "Maybe we need to try a new system," he said hesitantly.

"What do you mean?" asked Lee.

"I just keep thinking about New Caprica," Felix confessed. "What went wrong there. And maybe it was G—Baltar, or maybe it was just that our system—our _old_ system isn't meant to work anymore."

"You're right," said Lee. He sat up a bit straighter in his chair, and Felix saw something light up in his eyes (he had really nice eyes). "Felix… this is brilliant. I mean, think about it! We have the Quorum of Twelve. But the Colonies… they're essentially meaningless. I mean, I'm from Caprica and you're from Picon, but what does that _mean_? It's something we clung to when the world ended, but I don't really represent the interests of some Caprican family on _Rising Star_. I don't know them. We have no communication infrastructure. I don't know my constituents."

"Well, you need to," said Felix. "You need to let the citizens have a voice—the everyday people, the civilians, and us in the military who are far down the totem pole. The people don't _want_ Cylons on their ships."

"I know," said Lee. "That's what's wrong with the way we govern. We need to accept that we have a new way of living. We've been out here for four years, and gods only know how long this will go on for. Our ties to our home Colonies are fading—we're much more closely tied to our home _ships_."

"You should tell your dad that," said Felix. "It's good."

"No, you should," said Lee. "It was your idea, you inspired me. And he'd take it better coming from you."

Felix remembered what Lee had said about Adama liking him and wondered if Lee really knew what he was talking about. He _had_ said he would bring Felix to talk to Adama, Tigh and Roslin, though.

"Okay," said Felix, unsure of what exactly he was agreeing to. "When would that be?"

"I'll try to get you in tomorrow," said Lee. There was that smile again and Felix felt something tighten inside of him. He had no idea what was happening to him.

**

"Tomorrow" turned out to be "in four days." Every night at dinner, Lee apologized effusively, saying Roslin had been ill, or his father had brushed him off.

But it gave them a chance to solidify their plans.

Felix had never really been interested in politics—he had been serious about the military, though he knew something about history and law. For one thing, there weren't that many books left, and Felix would read anything he could get his hands on, which meant he'd read a few books on subjects that wouldn't normally have interested him.

For another, Lee, who had all his grandfather's law books, turned out to not know much more than Felix, and sheepishly admitted that he was mostly teaching himself.

While Lee talked, Felix took careful notes.

"You know," said Lee, pausing in the middle of his explanation of what it took to amend the Articles of Colonization, "you really _are_ too organized for your own good."

Felix felt his lips curl into a smirk. "What makes you say that?"

"I don't think anyone has ever written down what I've said, not even when I was CAG—and _then_ , they were technically supposed to. And _you're_ making a flowchart."

Felix laughed. "I guess I'm just a visual learner."

"Good," said Lee, sliding the heavy book toward him across the table. "Because I can't make heads or tails of this."

"I thought you were doing a pretty good job," Felix offered.

Lee snorted. "Where were you in college? I could have used you then."

Felix laid his pen down and rested his chin on his hand. "So, did you always want to be a lawyer?"

Lee shook his head. "Never seriously. I mean, I used to be fascinated by my grandfather, all the work he did. But I never seriously expected to do anything but join the military."

"Me neither," said Felix. He paused. "But I _wanted_ to join the military."

Lee grinned. "So did I. Or at least, I thought I did. I've come to realize it was what my _dad_ wanted. Not me."

Felix nodded. He knew he was lucky—his parents had supported him in his chosen career, and if they had preferred that he had done something else with his life, they'd never let on.

He made a square around the point he'd just written. "We need two-thirds of the Quorum to agree to the restructuring. Think they'd do it?"

"Eight delegates?" said Lee. He snorted. "Not likely. We won't get Zarek, I know that."

"Well, there's you," said Felix. He wrote _Adama_ down in the margin of his notepad.

"Right," said Lee, smirking.

"Well, if we get some support from Roslin, maybe…"

"Tomorrow," said Lee decisively. "I'll make them hear us out tomorrow."

Felix studied Lee for a second. At the very least, he was determined. Surely, that was worth _something_.

"So," said Lee, shoving the book aside. "I've told you a lot about me. Let's hear about you."

Felix frowned. "You don't want to hear about me."

"Of course I do." Lee leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. Felix was suddenly aware that he was veryclose. Had they always been sitting this close? When had that happened?

"Well," said Felix slowly. "This is all I ever wanted to do. So I worked at it and I worked at it, and… here I am today."

Lee laughed. "That was a short story."

Felix shrugged. "There's not much to tell. I'm a pretty boring nerd."

"Well," said Lee, "I think you're interesting."

Felix felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck. If he didn't know any better, he'd think it was possible that Lee was flirting with him.

 _Stop it, Felix_ , he told himself. _Don't be stupid. This is_ Lee Adama. _Lee Adama isn't flirting with you.  
_  
Felix smiled weakly and there was another long silence. "I guess I should be going," he said, reaching for his crutches.

"You sure?" Lee asked.

"Yeah," said Felix, gathering his papers into as neat a pile as he could manage one-handed. "I just want to get to bed, I think."

Lee reached out to help him and their fingers brushed. Felix yanked his hand back, as if he'd been shocked. He was acting so stupid. What was wrong with him?

"Okay, then," said Lee, sounding slightly disappointed (or maybe it was Felix's imagination). "See you tomorrow?"

Felix managed a small smile. "Of course."

He was rewarded with a grin from Lee, something he'd gotten to be surprisingly fond of lately. "I'll see you, then."

**

The next day, Lee was waiting outside CiC at the appointed time. He seemed slightly more polished—he was wearing a tie, which he didn't always do, and his hair was combed back neatly. Felix liked that.

"You ready?" Lee asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," said Felix, holding up the folder with their notes in it.

"We'll be fine," said Lee, as they waited for the hatch to open.

Felix swallowed hard.

"Mr. Gaeta," said the admiral, when they entered. "Glad you could join us."

Roslin gave him a small smile. She looked so tired—Felix was reminded of his father in his last days. Why was she still working? His father had wasted away for months, barely getting out of bed. Even as dedicated to his work as he had been, he had known when it was time to stop.

"Thank you for having me," said Felix. As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it. That sounded stupid. Like they had invited him over for tea. He sat as soon as Adama indicated the chair.

Roslin rearranged the blanket around her shoulders. "Mr. Adama, have you made any headway with the Quorum about upgrading the Fleet's jump drives with Cylon technology?"

Lee shook his head. "Actually, that's what we wanted to talk about. You weren't there… but we discussed that today." He hesitated. "They voted against it. Tom Zarek was the driving force behind its rejection."

Roslin sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Well, it needs to happen. I do not want us to be stranded out here without a means to escape should Cavil's forces find us."

"Then they need to be convinced," said Adama.

"Actually, sir, that's what we wanted to bring up," said Felix.

Five eyes were on him instantly. Felix swallowed hard. "Sir, I think we need to be cautious about integrating Cylons into the Fleet. Not everyone has our perspective of seeing Cylons every day, of—of knowing them personally." He chanced a glance at Tigh, but his expression betrayed nothing. "To the majority of the people in this Fleet, Cylons are the people who destroyed their homes, killed their families." He swallowed hard. "Tortured them on New Caprica."

He noticed that Tigh flinched.

"I know, Mr. Gaeta," said Roslin slowly. "I was there. But surely you understand the urgency of the situation."

"I do," said Felix, trying to control his voice. "If the Cylon technology will help us, then by all means. I just feel that…" He trailed off, unsure of what to say. He'd never really liked public speaking and having Adama, Tigh and Roslin—not to mention Lee—all staring at him didn't help.

Lee cut in. "What Felix is saying is that we need to be careful. Maybe… integrate the technology, but without bringing Cylons onto civilian ships."

Felix nodded. "I mean, surely human crews can be trained to do the installations."

"It would take time," said Adama.

"Well, then, _let_ it take time!" Felix looked at all three of them in turn. "People don't _want_ this. Can't you see that?"

"Watch your tone," snapped Tigh.

Felix stopped, but he didn't apologize. "I'm just saying, sir. Maybe we need to reevaluate our situation. I don't think people have much faith in the current civilian government."

Roslin looked shaken. Tigh looked like he was going to say something, but he stopped when Adama opened his mouth.

"Lieutenant, you're dismissed."

"Dad, come on," said Lee.

Felix didn't move. He couldn't move.

"Lee," Adama began.

"I mean it, Dad. He and I have been talking about this." He reached over and took Felix's notes from him. "We came up with all of this." He began paging through them. "A proposal to restructure the Quorum along ship lines instead of Colony. A proposal to integrate the Cylons into our society— _slowly_. Rearrangement of living assignments, jobs… a system to let people have their concerns heard. These are good ideas."

"Is this really the time?" Adama asked.

"When would you rather do it?" asked Lee, jumping to his feet.

"Sit down," said Tigh.

Lee bristled. "I'm sorry. You may not like it, but I think Felix has some valid concerns—and if you asked anyone in the Fleet, I'm sure they'd tell you the same things he's telling us."

"That's enough, Lee," said Adama calmly.

"Dad," said Lee, but he didn't say anything else.

Felix noticed that throughout this whole exchange, Roslin had said nothing. She looked utterly exhausted and Felix suddenly felt guilty.

"Sir, I—" he began.

"No," said Roslin. "Lieutenant, I'm sorry. I need some time to think about this."

Adama shot Felix a glare. "Mr. Gaeta."

Felix automatically stood. "Yes, sir."

"We'll put your proposal under review. We're done for now."

Felix swallowed hard. "Thank you, sir."

He didn't let out his breath until he and Lee were outside.

"Well, that went well," said Lee.

Felix sighed.

"I was being sarcastic," Lee clarified.

"I know." Without even noticing it, he was following Lee back to his quarters. He knew he should be going back to his rack, but somehow, he felt like he wanted to spend time with Lee, go over the postmortem of the meeting.

"I honestly thought it might be different," said Lee. "I'm sorry, Felix. I thought my dad might listen to you."

Felix shrugged. "I didn't expect anything to come of it."

Lee opened the hatch and they entered. Their papers from the night before were still scattered on the table and Lee went to them. "I guess we ought to get started on something else," he said absently. "Maybe if we tried to go directly to the Quorum… Does Tom Zarek like you?"

Felix shrugged. They'd hardly spoken since New Caprica. "Why are you still doing this?" he asked.

Lee stared at him. "What do you mean?"

Felix leaned forward on his crutches. "For over a week now, you've been talking to me, spending time with me, we came up with all these plans for this meeting. What do you expect our next step to be?"

Lee set the papers in his hand down on the table and walked over to Felix. "You think this is what, about politics?"

"Why else would you be spending all this time with me?" He knew he sounded pessimistic, but he didn't care. "Why would you stand up for me?"

Lee looked exasperated. "Maybe it's because I like you."

Felix froze. He didn't mean that, did he? He _couldn't_ mean that. At least, not the _like_ that Felix's mind immediately jumped to. He somehow couldn't picture Lee Adama as being into guys, and especially not into Felix.

He wasn't quite sure what to say. "So… do you?" he finally managed.

Lee's response was to kiss him.

Felix's first response was panic. He hadn't been expecting this, hadn't entertained it as a realistic possibility, but Lee was kissing him, Lee wanted this—frakking _Lee Adama_ for gods' sakes.

Lee pulled back. "No?"

"No. I mean." Felix smiled. He knew he looked ridiculous, grinning like an idiot, but he couldn't help it. "I mean yes. I just… Gods. I wasn't expecting that."

Lee looked embarrassed. The tips of his ears were turning pink. Felix thought that was very cute.

"Let's sit down," he suggested.

"Oh!" Realization dawned on Lee, as he remembered Felix had just been standing there awkwardly. "Oh my gods. I am so sorry." He shoved a chair out of the way, clearing Felix's path to the couch. "We can sit… here."

When the second kiss came, Felix was ready for it, was able to kiss back. It seemed like it had been so long since he'd kissed anybody—the last person had been _her_ , he thought with a shudder—that he almost wondered if he was disappointing Lee, but if he was, he gave no indication.

"So," said Felix, when they paused. "When did this…"

Lee chuckled, low in his throat. "Just happened," he murmured. "You, just being you. I like you."

Felix tucked a lock of Lee's hair behind his ear. "So you said."

"So," said Lee, brushing his thumb against the back of Felix's earlobe. "Do you like me?"

"Yes, I do," said Felix, kissing him. "I do like you."

"Good," said Lee. He kissed the corner of Felix's mouth, making him quite forget there was anything else he'd wanted to say.


	4. Chapter 4

For a few days after that disaster of a meeting, Lee didn't even start to think about how it had gone wrong. He continued life as usual, commuting to _Colonial One_ and spending his evenings with Felix. He didn't think about how he'd face his father after what had happened, didn't think about how Tom Zarek (who was spending a lot of time on _Galactica_ lately) had refused to meet with him.

For a few days, Lee was simply focusing on Felix. The prospect of that, of spending time with Felix _just to spend time with Felix_ , rather than to discuss politics, put a spring in his step and made him feel like a whole new man.

It made him feel better about _everything_. He didn't even care anymore that he'd never get his father to listen to him, never convince the Quorum of anything. He had Felix, and Felix was the only thing that had any chance of making him happy right now.

"You look like you're concentrating very hard on something," Felix said.

"I do?" Lee asked.

"Yep." Felix leaned up to kiss him. "I like that look on you. It's serious. Gives you gravitas."

They were curled up together on the couch in Lee's quarters. It was a very cozy feeling, not what Lee was used to, and it felt good. Even if they didn't say much, all he really wanted to do was lie here with Felix tucked up next to him. Frak Earth, frak politics.

"Mm," was all Lee said in response.

Felix laughed. "So, what are you thinking about?"

"Nothing," Lee told him. "I'm not thinking about anything."

"Your face says otherwise." Felix traced the outline of Lee's jaw with the tip of his finger. "Something's bothering you. Is it still about the other day?"

"No," said Lee, probably too quickly because Felix's forehead creased. "Well." He paused. "It _is_ about my dad. I was thinking about how to… tell him."

"Tell him wha—oh." Felix frowned. "Who says we have to?"

Lee considered this. Maybe he was onto something. "Then I guess we won't."

"He'll find out eventually," Felix said. "Word travels fast here."

They were quiet for a few moments as Lee wondered what would happen if his father found out by word of mouth, instead of directly from Lee. It was a bit of a weight off his shoulders to not have to compose in his head how he'd tell the admiral about Felix, but he didn't want it to be in the wrong way, didn't want Bill to think Lee had deliberately avoided telling him (which was exactly what he was doing).

He opened his mouth to say this, but he was stopped when Felix shifted uncomfortably against him.

"You okay?" he asked.

"You keep saying that." Felix grunted. "I keep telling you I'm fine." He was rubbing his leg, directly on the spot where Lee knew his prosthesis began.

"Not in pain?"

Felix shrugged. "Ran out of morpha. Doc Cottle won't give me more."

Lee frowned. "Do you still need it?"

Felix didn't look at him. "He says not." He sounded unconvinced.

They were both quiet. Lee slid his arm around Felix's shoulders and squeezed. "Is it bothering you?"

Felix shrugged, shifting against him. "I still feel it, you know? The phantom limb."

Lee frowned. Ever since he and Felix had started this, Lee hadn't really acknowledged his missing limb. The truth was, he didn't know what to do about it.

"Don't worry about it," said Felix, as if reading his mind. "I'll live."

"Sorry," said Lee.

"Don't be." Felix smiled at him, which made Lee feel very warm inside. "You're the only person who wouldn't just gawp at me. Plus, you're good at taking my mind off it."

"Well, then," said Lee, sliding his fingers into Felix's hair. "I'll have to keep doing that."

"Mm," Felix murmured after a few more moments of kissing. "I should probably be going."

"Why go?" Lee breathed in his ear.

He surprised even himself by this—he, more so than Felix, had been trying for discretion.

Felix raised an eyebrow. "You want me to stay?"

"Can you think of a reason not to?"

Felix apparently couldn't, which was just as well. It was a little awkward at first, getting into Lee's bunk, but they got the hang of it quickly. Felix still seemed self-conscious about his leg, and Lee wondered if he was in pain, but once they got comfortable, he seemed all right.

His last thought before falling asleep was that it didn't matter what else happened—he was perfectly fine with things staying like this for quite a while.

**

The next morning, Lee woke to the sound of reveille, forgetting for a moment that Felix had spent the night. He was glad of it, though. It was refreshingly nice to wake up next to someone.

"How'd you sleep?" he asked.

Felix blinked blearily up at him. "Fine." He groaned, rubbing his eyes. "What little I got, at least. _I_ have to get up."

Lee smirked. "Sorry about keeping you up so late."

Felix snorted and hauled himself to the edge of the bed, reaching for his prosthetic leg. "And you get to stay in bed. Are you even going to _Colonial One_ today?"

Lee yawned, settling back against his pillow. "I may. If I can get Tom Zarek to talk to me."

"Are we still trying that?" Felix was dressing slowly, looking like he'd rather climb back into bed with Lee (which was what Lee would rather he do, too).

"I don't know." Lee sighed. "I don't know about anything anymore."

Felix dropped a kiss onto his forehead. "Don't worry about it. I was only kidding. Sleep in. I may be by later if I get time off."

Lee grinned. "Should I stay right here?"

Felix's only response before closing the hatch was a wicked smirk.

Lee did fall back to sleep, a fitful one with vague, unusual dreams that he couldn't remember more than impressions of when he had opened his eyes. The phone finally jolted him awake and he reached for it, confused. Who would be calling him? It couldn't be good news.

"Hello?" he said tentatively, holding the receiver up to his ear.

"Did I wake you?" It was his father.

"No," Lee lied, standing up and stretching, trying to contain his yawn. "Morning, Dad."

"Can you come up here? There's something I want to talk to you about."

Lee's good feeling from that morning dropped right to the bottom of his stomach. "Sure."

On the way to Bill's quarters, Lee couldn't stop thinking about all the possible horrible things his father would need to talk to him about. Could this be about him and Felix? Lee remembered how, as a child, he'd been half-convinced that his father could read minds. Surely that wasn't true.

But it was awfully coincidental that he'd get called to the carpet the very morning after Felix had stayed overnight for the first time.

He was still thinking about how he'd explain himself when the marines in front of Bill's door opened the hatch for him and he entered.

The first thing Lee noticed was that Tigh and Roslin were already there; that had to mean this wasn't about Felix—if his father disapproved of their relationship, he'd confront Lee alone.

He was so wrapped up in his relief over this that it took him a second to realize who else was there.

Felix.

When their eyes met, Felix gave Lee a raised-eyebrow expression that quite clearly said _I have no idea what this is about either_.

Lee crossed the room and sat down next to Felix, giving him a small smile.

"Thank you both for coming back," said Roslin without preamble. "We've been reviewing the proposal the two of you put forward." Lee was surprised she had spoken first, rather than his father, and then was struck by how resolute she looked. Despite her deteriorating condition, she looked somehow stronger, more determined. "I think you both have some good ideas, and I'd like to hear you out."

Lee could hardly believe his ears. "Excuse me?" he said.

"You were right," Bill broke in. "We need to do something about the form the civilian government takes in the future. If you go forward to the Quorum with your plans for restructuring, the President will back you."

Lee glanced at Felix out of the corner of his eye. He looked just as stunned as Lee felt. He wondered what had happened to change their minds.

Roslin went on. "I understand that the integration of Cylon and human technology is difficult for people to take and that very few will embrace it immediately. Thus, I think the important place to start is for the government to be seen to be taking positive steps toward unity. You were right about the transparency. I think that's exactly what we need. Lee, I was wondering if you would be willing to serve as a special spokesperson, bring people that message firsthand."

Lee opened his mouth, but nothing came out. All he could remember was that disastrous press conference where he'd slipped up.

"Madam President, I… I'm not really sure I'm cut out for public relations."

"Oh, but you are!" she insisted. "You've been asking exactly the right questions and people will trust you if they know you've shared some of their concerns. I don't think I could come up with a better person for the job."

Lee wasn't sure how to respond. "I'll do my best," he said.

"Good," she said.

"Mr. Gaeta," Bill began, and Lee caught Felix's slight flinch. "We'd like you to help with this, too."

"Sir?'

Tigh finally spoke up. Lee had almost forgotten he was there. "You were the one who came up with this proposal. Don't tell me you don't want to help implement it."

"No, sir," said Felix quickly. "I mean, of course I do, sir."

"Good," said Adama. "That'll be all."

Lee still couldn't believe it. His father had changed his mind? How had that happened? He glanced around the room, as if the answer might be lurking in a corner. When he met Roslin's eyes, she smiled. Maybe that had had something to do with it, he mused. He returned her smile.

"Are you going over to _Colonial One_ now?" Felix was at his side, leaning in close. Lee glanced over at his father, who was talking to Tigh, not paying any attention to Lee.

"Yeah," he replied. "I was going to go over there and get started on this. It might take a while. I'll be back tonight."

"Okay." Felix hesitated, knowing he shouldn't expect any kind of public acknowledgement of their relationship. "See you tonight."

Lee felt bad. It wasn't like he had any reason to _hide_ Felix. There was nothing wrong with what they were doing. Lee was a civilian, so it wasn't as if they were in violation of some regulation. There was no reason they couldn't be public about this.

Lee leaned in and gave Felix a quick kiss. "See you tonight," he echoed, before turning and going. He saw Tigh smirk, but he purposefully avoided looking at his father's expression.

Lee and Felix exited the admiral's quarters together and parted in the corridor outside. Lee wasn't sure if he was moving quickly in order to leave before his father could call out to him, but he found himself walking fast on his way to the hangar deck.

It might have been his imagination, but he thought some of the crewmembers were looking at him funny as he passed by. Word couldn't have traveled _that_ fast, could it? Again, Lee felt a twinge of guilt for not actually _telling_ his father.

He thought about this during his entire flight to _Colonial One_ , neglecting to use the time as he normally did, to look over his papers. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he almost didn't notice that it seemed to be taking longer than usual.

"Sorry about the delay," said Racetrack, from the pilot's seat. "There's just some unexpected traffic. It ought to clear up shortly."

"That's fine," said Lee absently. He opened his folder and began paging through his notes. It hadn't been long ago, but it had seemed like ages since he had worked on this with Felix. He'd thought their relationship would be the only benefit of their hours of hard work, but they'd achieved their original desired outcome in addition to the… positive side affect that was their relationship. It was a pleasant surprise and he wished he'd had more time to discuss it with Felix—or to prepare for his new task, which he'd apparently have to start immediately.

He was jolted from his reverie when the hatch opened and Racetrack turned to look at him expectantly. "I think this is your stop," she said.

Lee was struck by what sounded like coldness in her tone, but dismissed it as only his imagination, as he left the Raptor, stepping down onto the deck of _Colonial One_.

Tom Zarek was waiting for him at the bottom of the gangplank. "I'm glad you could join us, Mr. Adama," he said. His tone was cordial, but his expression was somewhat grim.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Lee said. "My father needed to see me this morning, and he—" He stopped talking as Racetrack and Skulls passed him, going to stand next to Zarek.

"It should have already started," said Skulls. "We wanted to get clear before we were stopped, but I think we got far enough that they couldn't have called us back."

"Good," said Zarek. "Once they get the situation under control over there, we'll go back, but I'm going to stay here for now."

Lee stared at him. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

Zarek, Racetrack and Skulls looked at him as though they had forgotten he was there.

"This was inspired by your idea," Zarek told him. "To enact government reform, sometimes you need to take the system apart and put it back together again. Isn't that what you said?"

Lee opened his mouth to say sometime, but no sound came out. "What are you—?" He was interrupted by several gunshots in the distance, in rapid succession. A chill shot down his spine.

"I think that's our cue," said Zarek, nodding to himself. "We need to place a call to your dad."

**

Felix walked with Adama and Tigh to CiC, feeling very nervous. He knew they'd seen Lee kiss him, and he was grateful neither of them was saying anything about it.

It was looking to be a quiet day, and Felix tuned out some of the chatter around him. The sameness of each day's work was really getting to him today, and he almost wished something interesting would happen to relieve his boredom.

Not that what had happened just now hadn't been interesting.

In fact, Felix supposed he was still in shock. Shocked, but glad. He was surprised how much he liked the feeling of being recognized as having a good idea that was worth using, and again, he remembered when Lee had said Adama liked Felix.

He hoped that was still true, now that Adama surely realized the nature of Felix's relationship with his son.

"Sir," said Hoshi suddenly. "Incoming transmission from _Colonial One_. It's the vice-president. He wants to talk to you."

Adama and Tigh exchanged glances and Adama picked up the receiver. "Patch me in."

Felix went back to his work, thinking nothing of the call and not listening to what Adama was saying until he heard the admiral slam the receiver down on the console. Felix glanced up curiously as Adama spoke to Tigh, in urgent, quiet tones.

He was about to ask what was wrong when the hatch to CiC opened and a team of marines led by Sergeant Hadrian marched in. Specialist Gage was with them. Felix was surprised to see several others in CiC stand when they entered, almost as if they'd been expecting it.

Tigh took a step forward. "Sergeant, would you mind telling me what the hell you're doing here?"

Hadrian didn't answer him.

Gage turned to her. "Sergeant, take them into custody," he said.

"What?" said Tigh.

Adama was silent.

A chill ran through Felix. What was going on?

"We're relieving you of command," Gage explained. "You can come quietly, or…"

One of the marines next to him raised his gun.

"Stand down, Corporal," said Adama calmly. "Don't do something you'll regret."

For a second, it looked like he hesitated, but then, he fired. Whether he'd been aiming for Adama or not, Felix wasn't sure, but the next thing he knew, one of the marines next to Felix, who'd already been in CiC, hit the floor, blood already beginning to pool around him. Felix stared, horrified. This was really happening. Their own fellow soldiers were turning on them.

"You made a decision, Admiral?" Gage asked. "You going to go with Sergeant Hadrian or do you need a little more convincing?"

"I hope you realize what you're doing, Specialist," said Adama. "This is mutiny. Treason. One of your men _murdered_ a shipmate."

Gage smirked. "Strikes me that what _you're_ doing is pretty treasonous, too. I know Admiral _Cain_ would never have gone for an alliance with the toasters."

Adama didn't reply to this. Instead, he glanced around at the marines who had their guns trained on him, and the CiC staff members who were staring at him with undisguised disdain.

"You've lost your second chances," he said, addressing the room at large. "I hope you all know that. You threw away all hope you had of forgiveness when you opened fire on your fellow crewmembers."

"You've lost your second chance, too, _sir_ ," said Gage. He turned back to Hadrian. "Arrest him and Tigh." He paused, surveying the CiC. "Anyone else?"

Felix couldn't take his eyes off the scene and he supposed he must have looked rather defiant, because Gage said, "Take Gaeta, too," and one of Gage's marines closed in on him.

Felix still wasn't sure what was going on, but he followed Adama and Tigh out of CiC. He wondered if there was any chance of getting away, but he dismissed these thoughts immediately. He was too slow, though he did wonder why Adama and Tigh didn't make an attempt to escape.

He knew it was over when they entered the brig. His heart was racing. How could this have happened? Felix knew people were discontent, but he didn't know it was _this_ bad. Were they going to die? Was Lee safe?

"This isn't a good situation," said Adama in a low voice.

Tigh gave him a sour look that said the understatement wasn't even worth his reply.

"Thank you for your loyalty, Mr. Gaeta," Adama added, ignoring his friend's expression. "It's nice to know we have you on our team. Why don't you sit down?"

Felix nodded his thanks and hobbled over to the bunk on the wall of the cell.

"I'm sure they'll go after the other Cylons, Bill," said Tigh softly. "Caprica—"

"They won't kill them," said Adama confidently. He gave him a wry smile. "You're safe at least; they'll need you to negotiate with the baseship. Mr. Gaeta and I, on the other hand…"

"Why did you go so quickly, though?" Tigh went on. "Why didn't you—"

"They have Lee," said Adama baldly. Felix's head shot up and for a second, his eyes met the old man's. "I believe Tom Zarek is their ringleader. That was what he contacted me about immediately before this began."

"So what do we do now, sir?" Felix asked. He couldn't keep his voice from shaking; all he could think about was Lee being in danger.

Adama sighed and glanced at the marine guard, who kept looking nervously back at them from time to time. "For the moment, all we can do is sit tight."

Felix rubbed his thigh. It was beginning to hurt again. He really wished Cottle had given him more morpha.


	5. Chapter 5

Lee sat silently in the President's office on _Colonial One_ , staring at Tom Zarek, who sat across from him. Zarek was looking at him expectantly, as though he expected Lee to talk.

"You can't think you're going to get away with this," he said.

Zarek smiled. "Mr. Adama, you sound like you think I'm a comic book villain."

"You really think this is the answer? Killing members of your own race because you don't like their politics?" Lee shifted in his chair, wondering why Zarek hadn't had him tied up or restrained in any way. A second later, he realized Zarek probably had guards outside who would shoot him if he so much as moved. He shuddered. Zarek must have been very confident of his ability to make a swift takeover of the Fleet. He wondered how much help he had.

Zarek shook his head. "And the fact that you think it's as simple as that is _why_ this happened."

"What did you say to him?" Lee cut in.

"Your father?" He paused. "I told him you might be in danger if he didn't cooperate."

Lee felt a chill run down his spine. He was almost afraid to ask. "Did he?"

Zarek laughed. "Hopefully with some convincing from my partners over there. I like you, Lee. You have some good ideas. Had these events unfolded differently, I think we could have been allies."

Lee wasn't sure how to respond to that. He remembered when they had once _been_ allies, or something resembling that, when Lee had helped Roslin return to Kobol. That seemed like lifetimes ago. They had all changed since then.

Just then, the phone on the President's desk rang, startling them both. Zarek answered it, and it seemed to be good news, because he nodded, though his expression didn't change. "Good. I'm coming over now." He hung up and paused for a moment before speaking to Lee.

" _Galactica_ is secure. Your father's in custody." He stood up, putting his hands on his hips. "We'd better get to our shuttle."

**

Felix wasn't sure what to say. In fact, he almost wished they'd put him in solitary, so he wouldn't have to deal with the awkward silence.

Adama was standing by the wall, his arms crossed over his chest, his expression betraying nothing. Tigh, on the other hand, was pacing like a caged tiger, glaring at the guard every time he passed him. Felix tried to remember the name of the marine who was guarding them—he thought it was Moran.

The private cleared his throat. "I'm going to have to ask you to sit down. Sir."

Tigh raised his eyebrow. Felix could remember, before the eyepatch, when the gesture had been much more effective, but Moran, a civilian who'd joined up after New Caprica, didn't. He looked terrified. He grasped his gun more nervously. "You need to sit down," he said, trying to project his voice in a way that sounded authoritative.

"Oh, yeah?" Tigh stopped, right in front of the bars. "You're on the wrong side, Private. There's only one way this thing ends and that's with you and your buddies in front of a firing squad."

Moran swallowed, raised his chin. "Think it's going to be the other way around, Colonel."

Tigh took a step back. "That it may well be. But if they shoot _me_ , at least I can go with my head held high knowing I never betrayed my oath."

"Sir, I think you already did that by being a toaster."

"I'm sure you do."

Felix was itching to do something. He hated sitting there, with the knowledge that anything could be happening to Lee, that anything could happen to _them_. For all Tigh's pride, this was doing nothing to convince the mutineers not to just shoot them, the biggest authorities standing in their way.

"Sit _down_ , Colonel." Moran was looking like his position on the other side of the bars was making him artificially brave, and Felix wondered if he'd ever come off on the wrong side of a run-in with the XO. "I'm not going to ask you again."

Tigh didn't move.

Moran hesitated for a second and choked up on his gun. Adama moved forward, as if to restrain Tigh from getting any further onto Moran's bad side. Felix wasn't actually sure Moran would shoot them, but for a second, he thought it.

That was when he realized Moran seemed frozen.

"Took you long enough," said Tigh. Who was he talking to?

"Sorry, sir," said Starbuck dryly, her gun to the back of Moran's skull encouraging him to turn around and give her the keys.

Felix gaped, half wondering what exactly had just happened. He hadn't even seen her come in. "I got a little held up." She unlocked the cell and both Adama and Tigh went out. They really _were_ being rescued.

"Are you coming, Mr. Gaeta?" Adama asked, looking back at him pointedly.

Felix swallowed hard. He wasn't sure how well he could go on the run with the three of them—it wasn't like he _wanted_ to stay behind, but it felt strange being part of this group and expected to follow. He hauled himself up, wishing he was steadier on his feet—or could get around without his crutches.

"Put him in the cage," said Tigh, plucking Moran's gun from his hands and jerking his head back at the cell. "See how he likes it."

"You can't do this," said Moran as Starbuck maneuvered him in and shut the door. "This is insurrection."

"Oh yeah?" said Adama, waiting for Felix to catch up as they made to leave the brig. "Then what exactly is it _you're_ doing?"

**

As soon as he set foot off the Raptor, Lee could tell _Galactica_ seemed… _wrong_. The hangar deck was practically deserted and the few pilots and deckhands who were skulking around were staring at him and Zarek as they walked briskly toward the stairs.

Again, Lee noted that he was unrestrained, and again, he was about to comment on it when he noticed the armed marines milling about the ship. Every corridor on every deck they passed through was like that, more crewmen than Lee would have expected joining the mutiny. He felt his anger build every time he passed someone he recognized, someone who avoided his eyes.

He also noted who _wasn't_ armed, who walked quickly past the mutineers, continuing their business as normal, not convinced enough of either side to join the rebellion or to fight back. Lee wondered with a pang what had happened to his father, to Kara, to Felix. Were they still alive? He couldn't picture his father or Kara going quietly.

He knew where they were taking him and part of him hoped they'd have confined his father to quarters, but he knew he was too much to hope for when they opened the hatch and marched him inside. Still, his heart sank when he saw Specialist Gage sitting at his father's desk, in his father's chair.

"Have a seat," Zarek directed Lee. Lee sat in one of the armchairs, watching them from a few feet away.

"Congratulations on your promotion, Commander," said Zarek, taking the seat across from Gage. Lee winced. Now they were just rubbing it in. What function did keeping him here serve? "How's the situation?"

For his part, Gage looked very pleased with himself. He leaned back in his chair and rested his feet on the desk. "We got Adama, Gaeta and most of the toasters locked up." Lee couldn't hide his sharp intake of breath because locked up was not dead. "Rest of the crew didn't seem interested in putting up a fight. If anyone did, we'd have locked them up, too, but it seems nobody but Gaeta wanted into the brig."

"What about Roslin?" Zarek asked sharply. "And what does _most_ of the toasters mean?"

Gage's face fell briefly, but he quickly regained his composure. "We'll find Roslin. She can't have gotten far and she can't get off the ship. And 'most of the toasters' means we haven't found Tyrol yet. But like I said, we're looking for him."

Zarek frowned thoughtfully, as if considering what other holes he could poke in Gage's claim that the situation was under control.

"We'll get them," Gage continued, desperately looking like he was trying to hold onto his stolen command position.

The phone on the wall rang and he grabbed it. "What is it?" he said sharply. There was a long pause, as whoever was on the other end spoke. "Well, just tell them anything," Gage finally snapped. "That's not important right now." He slammed the receiver back on the hook and had barely moved his hand away before it rang again. "What now?"

Suddenly, the hatch opened and Vireem entered.

Zarek turned to him. "Glad you could join us," he said coolly.

Vireem's eyes fell on Lee. "What's he doing here?"

"Mr. Adama and I had been talking on _Colonial One_ ," Zarek explained. "I'm hoping we can convince him our cause is a worthy one."

Vireem looked skeptical and Lee tried to remember if he'd ever interacted with him as commander of _Pegasus_. He vaguely remembered that he had been among the crewmembers who resented Lee's appointment following Garner's death. "I think that might not happen, sir. I have some bad news."

"Spit it out, XO," said Gage sharply and Vireem scowled at him. Lee guessed they hadn't formally decided who would take what position once the ship was secure.

"They're gone," said Vireem.

"Who's gone?"

Vireem paled. "Adama and Tigh and Gaeta. I went down to the brig and Moran was in the cell and they weren't. He said—" Vireem swallowed, clearly hating being the bearer of bad news. "He said Starbuck sprung them free."

Lee couldn't help grinning. They weren't down for the count after all. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to compose his expression before Gage noticed him.

"He dies," he said coolly. "Get on the PA and say that if they don't turn themselves in in ten minutes, Apollo goes out the airlock."

For half a second, Lee debated making a run for it, but then he decided that was more than likely to just get himself shot. Instead, he sat there, wide-eyed, while Zarek mulled this over.

**

It was a mixed group that assembled in the secondary airlock some minutes later. Starbuck had led Felix, Adama and Tigh to where Roslin, Baltar and Tyrol were waiting. Felix wasn't exactly sure what he had to contribute. His leg was starting to hurt, so he sat a few feet away, on a crate that had been left out. He knew they were planning to get Roslin and Baltar off the ship and he was surprised when Adama turned to him.

"Do you want to go with them, Mr. Gaeta?" he asked. He looked down at Felix's leg, knowing Felix couldn't move as fast as the others if he had to, and it would be pretty difficult for him to be of much help when he couldn't reliably carry a gun.

Felix opened his mouth to answer, though he wasn't sure what that answer would be. He didn't like the idea of going to the baseship, didn't want to look at all those faces that looked like _her_.

Suddenly, he was interrupted by the crackle of the PA system. All of them looked up. Felix didn't immediately recognize the voice that came over the speaker, but he heard Tyrol mutter, "Vireem." Felix held his breath, listening.

"Escaped prisoners Adama, Tigh and Gaeta, report to the brig. I repeat, Adama, Tigh and Gaeta, report to the brig. If you do not turn yourselves in in ten minutes, we will execute Representative Adama."

Felix felt his blood run cold. Just then, there was a noise from outside as the Raptor docked.

Tyrol said, in a low voice, "Madam President, Dr. Baltar, it's time to go." While the two of them made to depart, Tyrol looked at Felix. "Lieutenant? You going or staying?"

Felix swallowed hard.

"If we're going, we need to go now," said Starbuck. She'd been pacing agitatedly and Felix realized she was as upset as Felix was at the prospect that Lee might die. "Sirs?"

"I'm staying here," said Adama calmly, and Tigh nodded. He wasn't going anywhere, either.

"I have an idea," said Felix suddenly.

"Make it quick," said Tigh, his eye flicking to the door. "We're about to have company."

"I need to get into the sensor mainframe," said Felix, standing.

"What is it you have in mind, Mr. Gaeta?" Adama asked.

There was another blast from outside and Starbuck looked ready to bolt up the ladder.

"Creating a diversion, sir. CiC's being staffed by people who aren't familiar with the systems. If something appears to go wrong, maybe that will slow them down."

Adama and Tigh exchanged glances.

"Please, sir," said Felix quickly. "I don't think we're going to turn ourselves in and this is our only chance to…" He trailed off, but they both knew what he had been about to say, and it was what they both wanted.

"Do it," said Adama. "Go with him, Kara."

Starbuck looked like she was about to protest, but she didn't.

"I'm going down to the engine room," said Tyrol. "If they have a mind to jump away—"

Adama nodded. "Good." He looked at the three of them. "I'm putting my faith in you. We're not out of this yet. We still have a chance to take back our ship."

**

The climb up the narrow ladder was difficult, but Felix managed it. Maybe it was adrenaline. He found himself spurred on by the thought that Adama and Tigh had stayed back to give them a head start, that they might be captured or killed just so Felix could have a chance to implement his stupid plan. He knew Adama was doing it for his son, but he liked to think Adama was somehow acknowledging the bond they shared through Lee.

"Your plan better work," said Starbuck, kneeling to help him to his feet as he reached the top of the ladder.

"I'm hoping it does," said Felix. He paused, cocked his head, listening. "I don't think we should go that way. Too much activity down there."

"Okay," said Starbuck. "Guess it's the long way around, then."

As they walked, which was more like sneaking, really, Felix couldn't stop thinking about Lee. They had Lee and they were going to kill him. There was only a slim chance that his plan would work, he knew. But he had to try. Adama and Tigh were either dead or captured by now and Felix owed it to them to see this through to the end.

Thankfully, the mutineers hadn't—or couldn't—change the access codes and when they got to the room where the mainframe was stored, Felix's code still worked and he yanked the hatch open.

"What is it you're planning on doing?" Starbuck asked skeptically.

"I'm not sure." Felix studied the terminals in the room, analyzing what was available to him. "I don't have any other tools." Leaving Starbuck by the door, he made his way over to the main computer controlling the sensors that made up the Dradis system.

Suddenly, an idea hit him. He held his breath and prayed to gods he didn't believe in to let it work.

It wasn't difficult to fool the system—just a few lines of code moved around, and the addition of a Dradis signature he would know in his sleep. He didn't relax until he'd hit the final key activating the program.

"What did you do?" Starbuck asked, coming up behind him. She still had her gun trained on the door, in case they were discovered.

"A distraction," he said, in the coolest voice he could muster. "It won't take them long to figure out it's a ruse, but it might buy us some time."

She nodded. "Okay. Let's get down to the brig where they're keeping the Cylons. Maybe we can find ourselves a few more allies."

**

Lee's heart was pounding as the ten minutes ticked by. They wouldn't turn themselves in, he was sure of that, and he knew, deep down, that they were right. It was most important that they regain control of the ship and the Fleet. _Galactica_ couldn't survive under the leadership of the mutineers, but it could certainly survive without Lee.

He jumped when the phone rang and, he noticed, so did Gage.

"Yeah." The self-appointed admiral grabbed the receiver off the hook as if he'd been sitting at that desk for years. "Okay. Good." He hung up.

"Adama and Tigh are in custody," he offered. "No word on the other fugitives." He looked at Zarek. "They could be dead, though."

Lee hoped Felix and Kara had somehow been able to evade their captors.

"So what do we do with him?" Vireem asked, jerking his head toward Lee.

Gage considered this, and turned to look at Zarek. "Mr. President?"

"Gaeta and Roslin are unaccounted for?"

"Yes, sir."

Zarek turned to look, what looked like regret on his face. He opened his mouth, but whatever he had started to say was cut off when the phone rang again.

Gage answered without identifying himself. Whatever the person on the other end told him made his face fall. "Oh… gods. You sure? Okay. Yeah. Um. Go to…" He swallowed hard. "Go to Condition One, alert the CAP. Find out how many pilots we've got ready. Pull them off prisoner detail if you have to. This is more important."

"What?" asked Vireem, as soon as he'd hung up.

"Cylon baseship," Gage spat. "Just jumped in. The main toaster fleet found us."

Vireem swore. "What do we go?"

"We fight 'em off."

Gage was already rounding the desk, running for the door, Vireem at his heels. Lee wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, but if Zarek went to CiC with them, Lee was planning to make a run for it. It might not matter, since a Fleet in disarray couldn't last long in a fight, but he was going to take whatever opportunity he could.

Zarek was giving him a long, hard, calculating look, but he seemed to judge the attack of greater importance than babysitting Lee, because he got up and left, too.

Lee didn't even stop to think. He just ran. The corridors were in chaos and nobody seemed to notice him. He didn't even pay attention to where he was going. He didn't know where Felix and Kara might have gone, if they were even still alive, but his father and Tigh would have been taken to the brig, and Lee decided he could at least try to take advantage of the confusion to free them.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?"

Lee dodged a marine who someone must have told to keep an eye on him.

"Freeze!"

Lee pretended not to hear him over the alarms blaring around them. He was just running, trying to put as much distance between himself and any potential pursuers as possible. He threw himself down the stairs, so focused on getting to the brig, the armory, _anywhere_ useful, that he didn't notice that the alarms had stopped at first.

He noticed when he swung around a corner and came face-to-face with Gage and Vireem.

**

Felix followed Starbuck through the corridors of the ship, trying to find the most efficient way to the auxiliary brig, the one that had been constructed all those years ago to hold Cylons.

"How long you think it'll take them to figure out there was no baseship?" Starbuck wondered aloud.

"Hopefully long enough for us to do something useful," said Felix. He was surprised at how well he was keeping up with her. Maybe it was the adrenaline. His leg had been hurting before, but he couldn't feel it that much now.

They heard shouting coming up ahead and hesitated. "Which way?" she muttered under her breath.

"That way," said Felix, pointing down the left corridor.

Starbuck looked skeptical. "But that'll take us right by CiC."

Felix shook his head. "One deck down. You go over, down those stairs and head straight back."

"Okay," she said, apparently willing to take his word for it. "Let's go."

They had gotten as far as the first set of stairs when the alarms stopped. "Guess we got found out," she muttered. She switched her gun to a more defensive position and pressed herself against the wall, peering cautiously around the corner. "They're going to know we did that."

Felix was about to suggest that the mutineers might first blame the rebel Cylons, which might buy them even more time, when they heard shouting coming up ahead. Both of them recognized the voice immediately. Starbuck started to run, and Felix was close behind her.

Time seemed to slow down for Felix. He and Starbuck had just come around the corner in time to see Lee dodge a couple of marines who were trying to restrain him. Felix recognized Gage and Vireem, and there, at the end of the hall was Tom Zarek. He knew this was the wrong place to be, and that he and Starbuck should just go back the way they came. They hadn't been spotted yet; everyone's attention was on Lee, who had apparently just escaped.

Felix couldn't make himself move. Beside him, Starbuck looked unsure of what to do. It seemed like minutes passed, but in reality, it could only have been seconds. Lee's gaze fell on Felix and they locked eyes. His expression was unreadable.

Lee opened his mouth to say something, but whatever he was going to say was drowned out by the gunshot. Felix saw Lee fall, but it took him a second to connect the two. It only happened when he saw the blood.


	6. Chapter 6

The logical part of Felix's mind knew the situation was unstable and that he shouldn't move. But the logical part wasn't the part moving his legs, telling him to drop down next to Lee's prone form.

"Gaeta!" Starbuck cried.

He was vaguely aware of people running by him, but he didn't care. His only thoughts were for Lee. Where was he hit? How bad was it?

Felix was no doctor, but with the amount of blood Lee seemed to be losing, he could only think that it was bad. He thought about when he'd been shot, but that was a blur. 

_He won't die_ , Felix thought. _He_ can't _die._

Vaguely, he was aware of people around him, moving back and forth. He heard Gage or Vireem, he wasn't sure which, try to order him away from Lee. Zarek just looked surprised. He was staring at Felix. 

"He needs to go to sickbay," Felix heard himself say. "He needs—" But no one seemed to hear him. He looked down at Lee again, in hopes of seeing where he had been hit, but there was so much blood it was impossible to say.

Lee was pale, his features slack. He had a pulse, but it was weak. Felix felt frightened. He couldn't lose Lee, not after they'd just... Not after Dee. 

"Stand down," a voice barked. Felix looked up, gladder than he thought he'd ever be to see Saul Tigh. Behind him were more welcome faces: Athena and Anders. They were followed by a group of marines Felix assumed were loyal. He wondered how they'd gotten a hold of them.

"Sir," Felix began, but no one was paying attention to him. He turned beseechingly back to Starbuck, who had an unreadable expression on her face. 

"Sickbay," she said briskly. "Sam?"

Anders looked down at Lee and his face clouded. Then, he looked at Felix and nodded. "Okay. Let's go." 

Part of Felix thought he ought to stay and help get the situation under control, but when he turned to Tigh, the older man just waved him off. He felt particularly useless following Starbuck and Anders on his crutches as they carried Lee to sickbay and he couldn't stop the absolute worst possibilities from running through his mind.

Sickbay was a zoo. There were several casualties besides Lee, including a couple of deaths. Felix was struck by a wave of nausea. Who could do such a thing, to their own people, when there were so few of them left? He glanced down nervously at Lee.

"Mr. Gaeta!" 

Felix turned to see the admiral coming over to him. He had a compress pressed to a cut on his forehead, but he didn't appear to be seriously wounded. "Are you—" He stopped when he saw Lee. 

"I'm sorry, sir," Felix said quickly, as if it were somehow his fault that Lee had been shot. Maybe... Maybe if they hadn't been working together...

"Is he being seen to?" said Adama, a little louder. 

"Already on it," Cottle said. "Get him back behind that curtain." Adama started to follow, but Cottle stepped in front of him. "I'm going to have to ask you to wait over there," he said. "I'll tell you as soon as I know anything." He stepped behind the isolation curtain and pulled it shut.

Felix looked nervously over at Adama. They were alone together, as Starbuck and Anders had disappeared, apparently to help Tigh round up the last of the mutineers. 

"Sir?" Felix began, hoping the words he wanted to say would magically come. "I don't—" 

"It's all right, Mr. Gaeta." Adama took a seat. "It's not your fault." He paused. "I can't say how valuable you've been today."

Under any other circumstances, Felix would have been pleased but now he could only think about Lee telling him that Adama thought highly of him. 

"Sit down," Adama continued. "Wait with me. I'm sure you're just as worried."

Wordlessly, Felix sat down and leaned his crutches against the wall. He didn't know what, if anything, he was supposed to say. It was hard to remember that this man was his commander _and_ Lee's father. 

He hunched his shoulders, suddenly uncomfortably aware of his worry that Adama had seen Lee kiss him that morning. "Sir, I didn't mean for—" He stopped suddenly when Adama looked up at him and found he didn't know what else to say. If Adama _hadn't_ seen them, then Felix would be revealing everything for nothing.

But it was the right thing to do, wasn't it? He took a deep breath.

"It wasn't my—our intention for you to find out... that way, sir."

He looked down at the floor, not wanting to look Adama in the eye. After the way things had been lately, he was nervous about how he would take the revelation of Felix and Lee's relationship.

"That's all right," Adama said gently. "We've all been under a lot of stress lately, and I think we all have things we wish we could have handled better."

Felix nodded, relief flooding through him. If Adama disapproved, he wasn't going to get into that—at least, not yet.

They lapsed into silence again; the only sound Felix was aware of was the sounds of Cottle at work on the other side of the curtain. He still didn't know Lee's condition, but every minute that went on without Cottle coming out to give them bad news was a minute Felix could hold out hope that Lee would make it.

He lost track of time and was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he didn't notice at first when Cottle appeared in front of them.

Felix tried to ignore how bloody the doctor's coat was—it wasn't necessarily all Lee's.

"He's fine," said Cottle. "He'll make it. He was hit twice, in the arm and the shoulder, but we were able to stop the bleeding in time. He's sedated—lost a lot of blood—but you can go see him for a little while."

Adama went back first and when he emerged a few minutes later, he seemed more at ease. He held the curtain aside, indicating Felix's turn. 

Hesitantly, Felix got to his feet and made his way back to Lee's bed.

He was pale, though he looked much better than he had an hour ago. He seemed to be resting comfortably, though Felix found the slackness of his features disconcerting—it wasn't the same as Lee's natural sleeping face that Felix had come to know well. 

When Felix emerged, Tigh was talking to Adama in hushed tones. Felix wasn't sure what he was supposed to be doing, but Adama waved him over.

"The situation's under control for now," Tigh was saying. "We'll need to evaluate where to go from here." He paused. "We're now without a lot of crew—and a vice-president."

Felix felt an all-too-familiar wave of despair wash over him, but he pushed it from his mind. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked. 

"Rest," Adama said. "Get some rack time. It's been a long day."

"What about you?" Tigh asked Adama quickly.

Adama turned, looking over his shoulder at Lee's drawn curtains. "I'm going to stay here."

"Actually, sir," Felix said suddenly, "I'd like to stay, too. That is... if you don't mind."

Adama looked surprised, but he nodded. "You're more than welcome to sit with me, Lieutenant."

Felix managed a small smile. "Thank you, sir."

**

Lee woke groggily to a full-body ache the likes of which he'd never felt before. Not even during the most intense training regimens from basic had he experienced this feeling. It took him a while to even realize he was awake, much less open his eyes. As he did so, the previous day's events gradually started to come back to him.

The mutiny.

His father and Felix held prisoner.

Getting shot.

Lee opened his eyes. Felix was sitting next to his bed. "Hi," he said.

"Hi." Despite how he felt, Lee smiled, then winced. "What…?"

"Shh," Felix whispered, nodding to Lee's other side. Lee turned his head with some effort. His father was also at his bedside, dozing in his chair. Lee turned back to Felix.

"You okay?" he whispered.

Felix snorted. "Yeah. I'm not the one who got shot."

"Ugh." Lee groaned. "How bad was it?"

"Not bad as these things go. You're all in one piece and you'll live."

Lee sighed, his eyelids falling closed again. "I'm sorry," he muttered hoarsely.

"What are you apologizing for?"

"I don't know." Lee tried opening just one eye this time. It was easier. "Getting shot. Making you worry."

Felix leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. "I'd worry anyway."

"Does that mean it's..." Lee wasn't sure what word to use. "Over?"

"Yeah," Felix said grimly. "It's over."

Lee wasn't sure whether to be relieved or not. "What exactly was going on?"

"Don't worry about that," said Felix. "Concentrate on getting better." Felix stood up. Maybe it was his imagination, but Lee thought he seemed to be moving more easily. "Let me get you a drink of water and let Ishay know you're awake."

"'Kay," Lee said faintly, though it didn't matter. He was asleep before Felix and Ishay got back.

He was embarrassed to find he'd slept for twelve more hours and woke to find Kara at his bedside.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," she said. 

"Kara, I got shot."

She grinned. "I know. Are you trying to tell me that getting shot makes you off-limits for teasing?"

Lee grimaced. "Is that what it takes, a mutiny, to get you acting like yourself again?"

Kara's smile fell. "Seems that way," she muttered.

It was from Kara that Lee finally got the full story of what had happened, about Gage, Vireem and Zarek collaborating on a mutiny. The government was in shambles and a good chunk of _Galactica_ 's crew was now on the _Astral Queen_.

"I never saw it coming," he said, when she was done.

"We should have," she said bitterly. "I mean, people weren't going to like being allied with the Cylons. I mean..." She paused. "You can't just ignore the fact that they destroyed our homes, you can't just ignore New Caprica, but then again... there's the Cylons like Athena and... and Sam, and they're..."

"I know." He sighed. "I knew we were going about it the wrong way."

They were both quiet for a few moments, and then, Kara said, "You know, it's not too late to try again. Take what we've got left and—"

"Start over?"

"Yeah." She paused. "Look, Lee, you don't have to do anything about this now. You're allowed to rest."

"Yeah," he said absently. 

She helped him take a drink of water and he lay back down again.

It was only about five minutes later, though, that he was goading Kara into helping him get up.

He clung to her arm most of the way to his father's quarters. Despite the fact that his injuries shouldn't have impeded his movements, Lee still felt drained, and he needed Kara in order to stay standing. 

"Lee!" His father seemed surprised to see him when the marine guards opened the hatch. 

"Hey," he said, trying to control the slight tremor in his voice. He surveyed the room. Tigh, Roslin, Tyrol and Felix were there, too. Felix caught Lee's eye and smiled. He looked more natural and confident around the command staff and Lee liked that. 

Kara helped Lee over to the seat next to Felix and he sat down. She took a chair opposite him.

"As I was saying, sir," Tyrol continued, having apparently been interrupted by Lee and Kara's entrance, "the upgrades would go much faster if I could have Cylon work crews." He paused. "Especially after the other day... I don't have as many people as I used to."

Bill nodded. "I know." He still seemed hesitant, and Lee remembered the outcry when the idea had been proposed before.

"Together," Felix cut in. "Humans and Cylons working together. People might find that less objectionable. Give _human_ work crews a Cylon advisor."

"That's doable," said Tyrol. "I'm sure the civilians would feel more comfortable with that. I can take up the excess slack by introducing some Cylons to deckwork here on _Galactica_." 

"There's no easy way to do this," said Bill.

"Well, I think we don't have to worry too much about most of the people who had a problem with us," Tigh said darkly. Lee was struck by his use of _us_. He'd never heard Tigh align himself so squarely with the Cylons. 

"My father's right, though," Lee began. All eyes were on him instantly. "It's not easy. But we don't have all the options we'd like to. Especially not with the government we have now." He looked away.

"Actually, that brings us to something I'd wanted to bring up," said Roslin.

Lee looked up. He was surprised by how invigorated she looked, compared to just a few days previously. He was glad to see it. "What was that?" he asked.

"We need a Vice-President," she said gravely. 

Lee sighed. "I'm not sure we really have anyone left, Madame President, not unless—"

"Does that mean you're saying no?"

Lee froze. "Er..."

Roslin smiled. "I think you'd do an excellent job, Lee," she said.

Lee looked around the room. Felix and his father were both smiling; even Tigh seemed to be struggling to keep from smirking. "I'd be honored," he said, stumbling slightly. "I mean... I wish it were under better circumstances."

"You have some very good ideas," she told him. "It's time you had a more active opportunity to implement them." She paused. "I think I'd like to start with your idea about reforming the Quorum." 

"Really?" This was all happening so fast, Lee could barely follow the developments.

"I think it's time for us to accept that our Colonies are gone," she said softly. "We have to start adjusting to our new lives so we'll be ready if— _when_ we ever find a more permanent home."

**

The next few weeks were practically a blur. Lee had come to accept that his life as Vice President would never be normal. He was so busy, especially after the return of Ellen Tigh, and Boomer with her, opened up fresh controversy, that he hardly had a chance to see Felix.

"You look great," said Felix, meeting his shuttle on the hanger deck, the one day Lee'd managed to get off. It was a pleasant surprise, and Lee was quite happy Felix had the confidence to greet him with a kiss in public, though a couple of people were still staring. "This kind of thing really suits you, huh?"

"I guess," Lee said, falling into step behind Felix as they headed for Lee's quarters. "I've barely had time to stop and breathe." 

"That's not the only thing you haven't had time for," Felix said, with mock sternness. 

"Believe me, you're not the only one who's noticed."

Felix laughed and Lee felt a familiar curl of warmth in his stomach. He loved seeing Felix in a good mood.

Actually, he just plain loved Felix.

"You're looking good, too," he added. 

"Thanks." Felix paused. "I'm still doing physical therapy. Cottle thinks I might actually get to ditch these things eventually," he indicated his crutches, "but I'm not so sure."

"That's great," Lee said. "I mean, whatever you're comfortable with, but—" 

Felix laughed. "I know what you mean."

"So, how's the search coming?"

Felix's smile faded. "No luck yet—trust me, you'll be the first to know." 

They walked in silence for a while, until Felix suddenly said, "So... how are you feeling?"

"Me?" Lee was surprised that Felix had need to ask that.

Felix smiled. "You got shot, remember?"

"Oh." Lee looked down at his arm. That seemed like years ago. "I'm fine."

"Good." Felix smirked. "Did you have plans for the evening?"

They had come to Lee's quarters and he opened the hatch, aware that it had been ages since he'd been here. "I hadn't thought about it. Did you?"

Felix grinned wickedly. "Oh, I did."

Lee chuckled. "Then I suppose we'll just have to go with what you have planned, then?"

Felix's only response was to close the hatch.

When Felix kissed him, he felt a flare of longing in his chest that he hadn't even realized he'd missed. It had to have been three weeks since they'd had time alone. How had he survived without Felix all this time?

"I guess you _did_ miss me?" said Felix, grinning, when they'd come up for air. 

"Yeah," Lee murmured, curling his fingers in Felix's hair. "I did."

"You could've come by any time you wanted," said Felix. They sat down on the couch and Lee shrugged his jacket off and loosened his tie. 

"I just didn't have the time. I'm sorry, Felix. There was... a lot going on."

"I know." Felix bit his lip. "Have they decided what to do with Boomer?" 

Lee rubbed his eyes. "Executing her is very important to the Cylons. She committed treason." He paused. "Which I guess, is exactly what we'd do with traitors."

Felix cast his eyes away, remembering the mutiny's aftermath. Surely it had been hard on him, as one of the few remaining senior officers on _Galactica_.

"You've been working a lot," Lee noted.

"Yeah." He was just now noticing the dark circles under Felix's eyes. "I just keep... plugging numbers into the computer, looking at star charts." He buried his face in his hands. "I have no way of knowing if we're ever going to..."

Lee reached out and took one of Felix's hands by the wrist. "Don't say things like that. Of course, we will."

"No, Lee, you don't understand." Felix sat back, looking him square in the eye. "We're losing _Galactica_."

Lee felt his stomach drop like a rock. "What?"

Felix looked grim. "You're dad's having trouble accepting it—and I don't blame him. The idea of moving to the baseship doesn't really appeal to me, either. But she's an old ship and Chief says she wasn't well-made to begin with."

"I'm not surprised," Lee murmured, remembering how modern _Pegasus_ had been. Had it been a mistake to sacrifice the superior ship? "It was a rush job, with the war and all."

They were both quiet for a few moments. Finally, Felix said, "I didn't mean to be such a downer."

"It's okay." Lee reached out to rub the back of Felix's neck. "I'll go talk to my dad—tomorrow. We'll figure out what to do, all of us."

Felix gave him a wan smile and Lee leaned in to kiss him. Just for a little while, he could almost forget about everything but Felix.

Lee hadn't realized how much tension he'd been accumulating until just now, when he and Felix were undressing each other. It had been a long time since they'd been able to spend time together, and even longer since they'd had sex. 

Not that they'd had sex a lot of times as it was. This was still new to Lee, as well as a little awkward, and he wanted to take his time.

"You okay?" Felix asked him, when they'd repositioned themselves on Lee's rack.

"Yeah," said Lee. "Are _you_ okay?"

Felix grinned. "Yep. I mean, I still want to be careful, but..." He trailed off. "Like I said before, I really do feel a lot better."

"I'm glad." Lee brushed his hair back from his forehead and kissed him. "It's great to see you looking better." He could remember back when he and Felix had first started talking. They'd come a long way since then and he was glad of it. He'd never have imagined himself getting this close to Felix, much less becoming Vice-President.

Felix gave him a crooked smile. "Good. I _feel_ better." He paused. "And you're talking entirely too much."

"Sorry," said Lee self-consciously. "That... happens sometimes."

"I don't mind," said Felix, tugging him down on top of him. "But I think we can be doing something other than talking."

"Right," said Lee. "Whatever you say."

**

Over the next few days, Felix clung to the memory of his night with Lee. It kept him going, even when he seemed to be scraping the bottom of the barrel at work. 

He had reached the point where he was just plugging random numbers into the computer to see if he could calculate jump coordinates that might have a habitable planet. The coordinates had stopped being meaningful ages ago. 

Sighing, he drew one of the star charts closer to him. They'd been over every inch of this space… hadn't they?

Felix frowned and studied a particular star cluster. Doing most of the work himself meant he could usually reliably keep track of where they'd looked, so he tended not to remember specifically where they'd been—as long as it had a red marker, he didn't pay much attention to it.

They had ignored the very hot, flat star as unlikely to have planets that could support life, but this one near it… Felix paused.

The computers on _Galactica_ were starting to fail, but Felix didn't want to have to wait until they completed their move to the baseship. 

With shaking fingers, he drew up the logs.

They hadn't checked here yet. 

Felix felt himself grin. "Sir!" 

Adama looked up from the file he'd been reviewing. "What is it?"

"Sir, I've been reviewing our potential targets for systems that might support life, and I realized—I've found another one."

Adama stared at him in disbelief. "This was something you missed before?"

Felix ducked his head, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Yes, sir. It wasn't intentional. I think one of the markers I've been using to tell where we've already looked slipped."

Adama nodded. "An easy mistake." He jerked his head in the direction of the hatch. "Get down to the hangar deck and tell them to add it to the schedule. You can pull Athena off her current assignment and give her this one."

"Yes, sir."

He was half-surprised how easy the trip down to the hangar deck was. He really was getting more comfortable with his own movements. 

The hangar deck seemed empty to Felix. He hadn't spent much time down here since the mutiny, and he knew a lot of pilots and deck crew were now incarcerated. 

Across the deck, he spotted Athena and Tyrol loading up her Raptor. Good, he was just in time.

"Athena! Wait!" he called.

She looked at Tyrol, wide-eyed, as if unsure of what to do.

"Hey," said Felix, coming up to her. "Glad I caught you. There's a new system I'd like you to—"

"Sorry, Gaeta," she said briskly. "I have my orders from the CAG." She kept glancing over her shoulder at a crate in the back of her Raptor. Felix wondered what she'd need for a recon mission.

"Well, these are from the admiral," he told her. "I think he trumps Starbuck."

Athena didn't say anything. 

"I'd like to come with you," he went on, making his way up the gangplank. "I kind of want to see this place for myself, run a few tests."

"Gaeta—" She reached out for his arm, to stop him. For a second, Felix was confused, but then, he looked at her, really looked at her, and it hit him. Memories from New Caprica, and even before. This wasn't Athena.

It was Boomer.


End file.
